2002 - Pardubice, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic's bid to win a third straight championship on home ice was foiled as Russia rebounded from a terrible tournament to win in 2002, edging Canada 5-4 in the gold medal game.

Any complaints about a lack of offence from recent Canadian squads were erased by this group. The top three scorers in the tournament were Canadian: Mike Cammalleri, Brad Boyes and Jared Aulin. In fact, eight of the top 20 scorers wore the Maple Leaf jersey.

After dispatching France and Switzerland by a total of 21-1, Canadian hopes were boosted by a 5-2 win over Russia.

A 4-1 loss to Finland deflated the balloon slightly, but the Canadians forged ahead into the gold medal game with convincing wins over Sweden and Switzerland.

The Russians stumbled into the championship game despite a less than stellar showing. A 2-2 round-robin record included losses to Finland and Canada and an unimpressive win over France.

After dominating the United States 6-1, Russia needed overtime to beat Finland in the semifinals.

In the gold medal game, Canada scored on the opening shift and built 2-0 and 3-1 leads. Russia responded by replacing goaltender Andrei Medvedev with back-up Sergei Mylnikov, and he provided a spark. The Russians rallied for three straight goals to take the lead.

Chuck Kobasew tied the score early in the third period on a powerplay but, a few minutes later, Anton Volchenkov scored what proved to be the winner on a long slapper.

The Finns, led by the tournament's top goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, claimed the bronze with a decisive victory over the Swiss.

The outcome, and previous Finnish wins over Russia and Canada, had many of their fans wondering what would have happened if they had been able to score an overtime goal in the semifinals.